Buckle.



B. F. OREWILER.

BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. 191a.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918;

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN OREWILER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BUCKLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (Pet. 29, 1918.

Application filed May 3, 1918. Serial No. 232,235.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. ORE- WILER, a citizen of the United States, residbuckles disclosed in Patent No. 1,193,050,

granted to me August 1, 1916, for adjusting buckles, and Patent No. 1,249,812, granted to me December 11, 1917, for adjusting buckles.

The objects of the invention are, to pro vide spring catch members for holding the clamping member of the buckle in closed position; to arrange these catch members so that the lever member of the buckle can be quickly and easily operated to release it from closed position; and to arrange said lever member on its mounting so that it is given freedom of movement longitudinally thereon and will be capable of centering itself into proper position to engage with the spring retaining members even though there may be some inaccuracy in formation of the buckle.

The invention further consists in the features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 isan elevation showing the buckle applied to a garter strap;

Fig. 2 is a detail elevation showing a strap attached to the buckle, but not threaded therethrough, and showing the clamping lever in open position;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 83 of F 1g. 2;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 3, but with the webbing threaded through the buckle and the clamping lever moved into closed position and 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings, the buckle comprises a back designated by the general numeral 6. This back is of one-piece construction and formed of thin sheet-metal of a spring nature. The back consists of an upper bar 7 and a lower bar 8, which are spaced apart from one another to provide an opening 9 therebetween; and these bars are connected together by side pieces or wings 10. The upper bar constitutes the mounting for a pivoted clamping lever 11, which is formed with a finger-piece 12, a serrated clamping edge .3 and eyes 14, which embrace the bar 7. As will be seen from Figs. 2 and 5, the clamping lever is shorter in length than the bar 7, so that it is capable of moving longitudinally on said bar, the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained.

The lower bar is in the form of a U- shaped member, providing a slot 15, within which is placed an end 16 of a webbing 17. By a swaging operation, this webbing end is firmly clenched in position on the back of the buckle and the webbing thus attached. The wings 10, at their forward upper edges 18, are formed on a curve, and the forward portions 19 of the wings are bent inward so as to overlie the rear portions of the back. When the clamping lever is depressed as in Fig. 4, the side portions 20 of the lever spring beneath the edges 19 of the wings 10, and the lever is thus held in closed position by these wings, which act as spring catches or retainers for the clamping lever. These wings constitute the sole means for holding the clamping lever depressed, for, as will be seen from Fig. 4:, the serrated acting edge 13 of the lever does not pass by the pivotal center of the lever, and thus the holding action. is not obtained by placing the acting edge of the clamping lever beyond the pivotal center, but is obtained solely by the spring clasps formed by the wings 10.

It may happen in the formation of these buckles that, due to a slight inaccuracy of the dies, the wings will not be formed exactly alike. If this occurs, unless the clamping lever can accommodate itself so as to become centered with respect to the wings, it will not be properly held in closed position. But by allowing the clamping lever to have play upon the bar 7, it will be forced, when moved into clamping position, one way or the other, and will thus center itself with respect to the wings. The curved surfaces 18 on said wings act to guide the lever in its movements so as to bring it into proper centered relation with respect to the wings, even though one or the other of said wings may not be quite accurately formed. This is a very important point, since it eliminates to a large extent the waste which occurs from imperfections in the buckles caused by bad action of the dies, and at the same time the effectiveness of the clamping lever is in no Way impaired.

As will be seen from Fig. 4, the Webbing is threaded through the buckle so as to en tirely cover the back thereoi' producing the rustless back, Which is important from a commercial standpoint.

I claim:

A buckle comprising a one-piece resilient sheet-metal back formed to provide an upper bar, a lower bar, and side pieces connecting said bars, said bars being spaced apart to provide an opening therebetWeen, a clamping lever pivotally mounted on the upper bar, said side pieces extending forwardly and inwardly to provide spring catches on each side of the buckle, said clamping lever swinging past the outer ends of said catches When moved to closed position, whereby it is caught beneath said catches and held in closed position thereby, said lower rail being adapted to receive and retain one end of the Webbing, said lever being shorter than the bar upon Which it is mounted and having a sliding fit thereon, and the inner edges of said side pieces engaging said clamping lever as the lever is swung to Clamping position to move the lever longitudinally along the upper bar,

whereby said lever is centered between the side pieces and evenly engaged by the catches on each side of the buckle, substantially as described.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN OREWILER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents eaeluby addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

